Hong Kong composer says social media has the power to tune in a new generation of music fans

Modern classical musicians have access to a whole new generation of potential enthusiasts thanks to social media, and they should take advantage of its power, a local composer says.

Hong Kong-born composer Charles Kwong Chin-wai, whose latest opus will premiere tonight when it is performed by the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, was upbeat about the future of new music in the city, where he said more people were willing to listen to unfamiliar tones.

"I think we are heading toward the right direction when audiences will not shut off but find something interesting in music styles that are foreign to them," said Kwong, 29, who holds a doctoral degree from the University of York.

"Unlike audiences in Europe who have a deep knowledge of music, Hong Kong audiences tend to be judgmental and reject anything beyond Mozart or Tchaikovsky, but I think they are becoming increasingly open now," he added.

Kwong, who returned to Hong Kong after seven years of postgraduate studies in Britain, attributed the open attitude to social media, which he sees as instilling curiosity in arts and music in younger people.

As young Hongkongers shift their attention toward the arts, they are using social media as a tool for discovery, Kwong said.